1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a luggage rack for a vehicle including side rails with a cross member extending therebetween. The cross member is slidable to various adjusted positions and then locked in place.
2. Description of Related Art
Luggage racks have long been popular accessory items for the roofs of vehicles. Luggage racks are useful for transporting various articles on top of a vehicle thereby enlarging the capacity of the vehicle which would otherwise be restricted to the vehicle interior and vehicle trunk. Luggage racks are particularly useful for vacation travel and also for carrying large articles such as lumber and the like.
It has been desired to simplify the construction of luggage racks. Conventionally, luggage racks have been made of side rails which are secured to the vehicle roof. Cross members have extended between the side rails to form a box-like structure to surround articles carried on the vehicle roof. Typically, tie-down ropes have been used to secure a load in place. The tie-down ropes have been secured to the side rails and cross members and extended across the load. Various tie-down loop structures have been provided in the past for both the side rails an cross members. Typically, the cross members and side rails have been made as a multi-piece structure requiring relatively expensive manufacture and installation procedures. Additionally, in many designs of the past, the cross members have not been movable along the side rails. It is desired that the cross members be movable along the side rails so that they may conform to the specific size of the load being carried and be locked in place after being moved to an adjusted position.
The present invention provides a desired construction which has a minimal number of parts thereby reducing installation costs and also the cost of manufacture. The luggage rack also has a desired curved aerodynamic design to conform with current tastes in vehicle styling.